Ecos in the Shadows
by The Black Maiden
Summary: She had always known that there was more to the bond they shared. He had always held her in high regards. In two opposite worlds, one thing is the same; the love they share. ANIMEVERSE, Arata/Takuu
1. Shameless

**Due too the overly popular status quo, and the fact that my BRS THE GAME stories havent any reveiws yet (accept for my own, but I'd rather not talk about that), I have finally posted a story on the anime.**

**BUT IT'S NOT A YURI PAIR! HA! HA, HA, HA! YOU HAVE NOT BEATEN ME YET, STATUS QUO! I SHALL NOT BE DEFEATED!**

**Ahem. So anyway, I thought the Arata/Takuu pair was super cute, so of course I had to grab it and mold it into a shape of my own! Will be a mulit-chappy story, BTW, so keep your eyes peeled!**

* * *

_Only mist hung in the still, night air._

_She knew she should have been sleeping. Her brothers and sisters were. Mother would scold her if she went all night without sleeping, again. _

_But how could she sleep on a night like this?_

_The cherry blossoms swirled around her as a soft summer breeze blew across the surface of the Otherworld. She breathed deeply and exhaled, taking in the warm "spring" air._

_She was not at all expecting to hear footsteps come up behind her, nor was she expecting to turn and see her "brother" standing behind her._

_("You're up late, again.")_

_("Your one to talk, Shadow. What are you doing up? I thought you did whatever Mother told you.") She replied with a teasing smile._

_He smiled as well. ("Well, Eco, you still haven't answered me.")_

_She blushed and turned away. ("…I like the night. It's so much more…peaceful.") She turned back to him. ("Now you.")_

_He stepped towards her, closer and closer, without saying a word. She would have backed away, but her feet stayed exactly where they were._

_He was only a centimeter away from her face, now. Lightly, he brought up his hand and touched her cheek._

_("I wanted to see how beautiful you look in the moonlight.") And then he kissed her, taking her by surprise._

* * *

Takuu watched from the bleachers as she dominated the basketball court.

The other team's players always seemed two steps behind her, as she grabbed the ball, darting this way and that, the steady _thump thump _as she dribbled the ball across the court.

She turned around, her short, red hair flowing out behind her. Her amber eyes filled with determination and her ivory skin shiny with sweat.

Never had she looked more beautiful.

She slipped past one of the other players, a tall girl who made it clear from the beginning that she planned to win that game, by any means necessary. And Arata took up her offer, being as risqué and annoying as she possibly could be.

Jumping, she scoured another basket, and their school goes wild. The tall girl…What was her name, again? Satsuriku or something like that, glared at his lover with murderous eyes.

Oh, how badly he wanted to kill her himself, but he knew. Arata could handle it.

She could handle it.

Another play, now. She stood, back to back, with her black haired friend, Mato, each protecting the other…

* * *

_Each protecting the other as their opponents rounded on them._

_Eco twirled her gun blades once before pointing them at her opponent, Black Matagi._

_Matagi scowled. ("Gun blades, huh? You stole that from me.")_

_Eco smirked. ("No, you have one and I have two. How's that stealing?")_

_Matagi didn't reply. Instead, she lunged at her, blade drawn. Eco parried it and swiped at her twice._

_She glanced to her side. She saw Rock lunge at Ninja Zero Two, using her cannon as a club. Zero grabbed hold of it and flung her to the side, but Rock got back up and prepared another shot._

_Eco turned back to her own battle. Matagi came at her, drawing back her blade to land the final blow, but Eco pulled the trigger on her left blade, and a dozen or so bullets hit Matagi smack dab in the stomach, and she was flung across the battle field, slamming into a pillar. She wasn't dead, but she would have one hell of a backache when she woke up._

_Eco, however, left her guard down for just a second, and felt her head being smashed into my Ninja Zero Two's claws._

_("ECO!")_

_Two people screamed her name as she fell to the ground. One was Rock._

_The other was Shadow._

* * *

Takuu could hear the crack all the way from the bleachers as Satsuriku-san's elbow made contact with the side of Arata's head. Blood splattered across the gym floor as the other players screamed in panic.

Takuu felt a cold wave of horror wash over him as he watched his lover fall to the ground with a loud thump.

The loudest scream was his own voice.

"ARATAAAAA!"

He practically leapt down the bleachers, pushing others out of the way in a rush to get to her. He felt some relief when his sneakers touched the gym floor, and he sprinted toward her motionless body.

When he got there, Mato and some other girl…that manager, what was her name? Yuu or something like that…was already kneeling beside her, their voices raised in panic as they begged for her to awaken.

Takuu dropped to his knees and slid beside Arata, lifting her delicate body into his arms. This girl, so powerful and sure merely moments ago, now lay frail and helpless in his arms. Her glinting amber eyes were closed to the world, and blood had taken the place of the sweat pouring down her face.

Takuu used his thumb to wipe some of the blood off her forehead. With wet tears pouring down his face, he gently touched her cheek in an attempt to awaken her.

"…Arata?" He said softly.

Nothing.

"Arata?" He said a bit louder. This time, her eyes opened slightly, and a wave of relief flooded over him.

"…Takuu?" She breathed weakly.

"Yes! Yes, it's me! It's Takuu!" He cried with relief. "I am so, so sorry, Arata."

Arata gave him a weak smile before he watched her slip into unconsciousness again.

Then he heard something else: Satsuriku-san's cruel laughter.

"Well, she deserved it. I said I was going to win this game. She had it coming." She said, matter-of-factly. She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "Well, _I'm _not completely fine, either. My elbow hurts from smashing her hard head. But no one's giving _me _a hug."

Takuu lay Arata back down and stood up, rage filling him. The _nerve _this girl had! The _audacity!_ She had just almost murdered someone and _she_ was acting like the victim!

Satsuriku smirked as Takuu came rushing at her, his fist drawn back…

"Igawa-kun, stop!" Mato shouted, stepping in between him and Satsuriku.

They both starred at her in shock.

Mato's blue eyes starred into Takuu's. "She's not worth it. Don't stoop to her level." By now, Mato's two other friends, the blonde girl and the green-eyed girl with glasses, were running over to help.

Takuu knelt beside Arata again.

"…Please wake up soon. Don't leave me alone."

* * *

**CLIFF HANGER! I'm horrible, I know.**

**I thought Eco, Arata's counterpart, would be packing some more..._serious _amunition than just a sword-y-thingy. She seems like the kind of girl who'd come at you with a gun, but I couldn't think of any cool enough, so I took Matagi's gun blades and multiplied them and gave them to Eco.**

**I don't know what Takuu's real last name is. But the name Igawa seemed to fit him. Look: Igawa Takuu, Taku Igawa. It sounds good both ways!**

**I don't know what weapon Takuu's other self, Shadow, will have, yet.**

**GAH! I keep wanting to spell his name Takku! But, then again, I'm known for misspelling words as simple as the (I sometimes accidently write "tha") so that's to be expected.**

**Um...bye!**


	2. Selfless

**Wow, I did not expect this this to get so popular and definetly not this quickly.**

**But I'm psyced that it did!**

**This next one took a bit longer. I'm dealing with some issues at school that are very strenuous and tramatizing, and I needed to get through it before I could be creative. But, thanks to my friends, family, and fans, I was able to update.**

**Special thanks to Tachibana Wish for helping me with the names and giving me ideas. Yeah, all the names you see in here (save for non-OC's) Tachibana-sama helped me with.**

**Anywhoo, Lot's of hetro-goodness, some otherworld action, introduction of other charecters, and so on and so fourth.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Takuu ran through the sheer white hallway. Over his days of visiting her, he had memorized what room Arata was in.

But when he'd heard that she was in critical condition, he'd ditched school and rushed to the hospital.

He skidded to a stop in front of her door, grabbing hold of the doorknob and shoving it open, and…

She was gone. The room was empty, the bed was made, and the window was closed. All the flowers and presents that had been sent, Mato's muffin basket, Takanashi-san's red and white chain stitch bracelet, Izuriha-san's macaroons, Yuu's cards…

It was like she had never been there.

"Oh, it's you." Takuu heard a voice behind him. He whirled around to see that the black haired nurse with rose colored eyes, the one who had taken care of Arata, was standing behind him.

He took shaky steps toward her. "W-where…is she?" He asked, afraid of the answer. "Where…where's Arata?"

The woman bowed her head. "I'm sorry…Igawa-kun." She looked up. "She's gone."

That shock of those two words sent Takuu collapsing to his knees. She…she was…no, she couldn't be! It…it was some sort of…mistake…some cruel joke. Yes, that was it! The hospital staff was tired of him coming over and staying for so long, so they were pranking him!

But by the look in the nurse's eyes, he knew this was no joke.

Arata was gone.

She was dead.

No more walking to school together, no more watching the sun set in the park, no more holding hands, or kissing "just because…"

The truth began to overwhelm him. He tipped his head back to scream and he…

Woke up. He opened his eyes and found himself starring at his own ceiling, in his own room, in his own bed.

He sat up. His pajamas were thoroughly drenched with sweat, and his hair was sticking to his forehead. Slowly, he unfurled his cramped fingers from where they were clutching the bed sheets.

That's right. Arata had only been in the hospital for two days. Over the weekend. He'd pretty much slept in the hospital on Friday; "pretty much" meaning he'd spent the whole night in a half-conscious state of worry and terror.

Takuu glanced over at the clock, which read 5:30. School didn't start until 8:25. If he left soon, he'd have time to go visit Arata before school.

He crawled out of bed and trudged to the bathroom, stripping his sweat-soaked P.J.s and throwing them in the hamper to be washed.

After he'd scrubbed off the sweat that had dried on his skin and in his hair, he dressed in his school clothes, left a note for his parents, so that they wouldn't freak out when they saw his empty bed, and took off.

* * *

_Shadow ran through the checker-boarded land covered in gravestones, some shaped like crosses, other's the more traditional type. His black cloak flowed out behind him, revealing his torn black jeans and grey shirt that looked like it had gotten caught in a blender._

_He stopped when he came across a girl. A girl with short white hair and orange eyes, and a long tail trailing behind her. Her mechanical arms looked like they belonged to and eldritch abomination, and a black hood with white flames covered most of her face._

_She starred at Shadow, he starred back._

_("Where is she?") He wasted no time asking._

_("I dispose of the dead, Shadow. I can only tell you that she's alive. No one has called me to claim her body.")_

_Shadow scowled. ("Must I search the entire Otherworld before I find an answer?")_

_Strength gazed at him with sympathetic eyes. ("I understand it's hard for you. I'm very sorry.")_

_("I don't want your sympathy!") He clenched his fists. ("I want your help! I have to find her!")_

_Strength sighed. ("I can't. I can, however, point you in the right direction.") She looked to the right. ("Go that way. There is a cathedral to the right of the second moon. The woman who lives there treats the wounded. Like a hospital." She looked back at him. "If Eco is anywhere, she's there.")_

_("And if this woman's not exactly welcoming?")_

_Strength smiled. ("You won't have to worry about that. She's a friend of your mother.")_

* * *

Takuu knocked on the hospital glass door. From inside, the black haired nurse turned and smiled at him before unlocking the door and opening it.

"Good morning, Igawa-kun." She said, in her quiet, calm voice. "You're here early, today. Visiting Kohata-tan, as usual?"

"Ah, yes. I…hope I'm not imposing." He replied. Her eyes had always been strange to him. They were a soft, rosy pink color.

She smiled. "No, I was just doing some filing, Here, come in." She stepped to the side.

"Um, thank you, Setsuko-san." He replied.

Setsuko led him down the long, white hallways of the treatment ward. Takuu's hands clenched and his shoulders tensed when he began to recognize the setting of his nightmare.

His legs began to feel shaky, and his vision turned blurry. He had to run. He had to find her. Before something bad happened. He had to…stop…Zero…

Wait, what? What was he thinking about? There was no one named Zero and Arata wasn't in danger. Satsuriku-san had been the one to attack her. And she had been suspended. Arata was fine.

So where was this feeling coming from?

"Igawa-kun? What's wrong?"

He looked up at Setsuko, who was looking at him with concern. With sudden realization, he found he was leaning against the wall in an attempt to stabilize himself.

"Ah, I'm alright, just…a bit tired." He replied, pushing off the wall.

Setsuko looked unsure, but didn't press it. Instead, she turned to the white door she stood in front of. "Right here."

He opened the door and stepped inside.

It was basically the same as yesterday. A few more baskets and cards and flower vases, but that was it. And on the bed…lay Arata.

A crisp, white bandage was wrapped around her head, and an I.V. tube was connected to her arm. Her red hair was splayed out on the pillow, and her eyes were closed, peacefully, softly.

She looked tranquil.

Takuu wondered what she was dreaming about, if she was even dreaming at all.

Setsuko glanced at him. "She's making excellent progress. It won't be long now before she wakes up."

Takuu nodded and smiled.

"Hey! Kasumi-chan!" Setsuko and Takuu both turned to see two girls, one with black hair and brown eyes, and one with blonde hair and reddish-gold eyes.

Setsuko waked back. "I'll be there in a minute, Fuyu-chan." She turned back to Takuu. "I have to go. Hibiki-sama and Ran-sama need my help with something. You can find your way back, right?"

Takuu nodded.

Setsuko smiled. "Alright, then. See you later." She turned and walked towards her friends.

The brown eyed one smiled. "'Ran-sama?' Come on, Kasumi, you don't have to use honorifics like _that_!"

"I don't know, Yukari, I'm okay with it." The blonde one commented.

Setsuko giggled. "Hibiki Fuyu, the weirdest girl in the hospital."

Fuyu stuck her tongue out. "Fufu."

Takuu watched the three of them walk away, before turning back to Arata.

Quietly, he pulled up a chair and sat next to her bed, taking her hand and holding it tightly.

She did nothing.

"…It's me…again." Takuu said. "I…came to see you before school. I can't stay all day, but…" He sighed. "I wanted to see how you were doing."

She still did nothing.

"…I've been having dreams…about you…about loosing you." Takuu continued. "…I wake up screaming and all sweaty, I'm always clutching the sheets too hard." He squeezed her hand tighter. "…If I had to dream, I'd rather it be about happy things. Like…the festival. The one by the beach. You remember that?"

But he knew that she did. She would always remember, just like he would.

He would remember their first kiss.

* * *

_**Arata giggled as she and Takuu walked along the sandy beach, in between the different booths, some selling things, others offering games that were probably rigged to cheat you out of your money.**_

_**Never the less, Takuu had somehow managed to win her a stuffed penguin from the skeet-shooting booth.**_

_**Arata, usually dressed in her captain's wear, wore a light green sundress with a purple floral pattern, and brown strapped sandals. Arata had insisted that, in his black t-shirt and faded denim shorts, he didn't look to bad, either. **_

_**Arata's other friends had come too, and they had even caught "The four musketeers," (Meaning Mato, Yomi, Kagari and Yuu) making their way across the crowded beach.**_

_**Takuu looked over to a crowed of people setting up for the firework display. Then he looked up.**_

_**Above them was a tall cliff that overlooked the beach. A stairway to the right made it easily accessible.**_

"_**Hey, I've got something to show you." He told Arata.**_

_**She looked up at him. "Really? What?"**_

"_**Just…follow me." He replied. He took her by the hand and together they ran up the steps to the edge of the cliff.**_

_**They reached the top and starred out over the edge, at the beach, the lights, the water.**_

_**Takuu smiled and wrapped an arm around Arata's shoulder, pulling her close against him. She looked up at him, blushing. She began to speak, but just smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.**_

_**Suddenly a bright flash of color exploded in the sky.**_

_**The show had started.**_

_**The two young lovers starred in awe at the incredible display above them. But Takuu began to focus more on Arata than the fireworks. Her face lit up with every blast, and each made her eyes shine and sparkle with a light that could only be called magical.**_

_**She looked up at him as he moved his arm to her waist. It was a bold move for him, but he didn't care.**_

_**She turned around, facing him, and placed her hands on either of his shoulders. As the audience down below "ooh-ed" and "Ahh-ed" over the grand finale, their faces grew closer and closer, the space between them disappearing…**_

_**One set of lips met with the other, and they united in blissful harmony.**_

_**Their kiss was delicate at first, but like the fireworks it grew, became more and more passionate, more and more loving, even deeper than before. Her hands moved from his shoulders to the sides of his head, then her arms wrapped around his neck. He kept one arm tightly around her waist and placed one hand behind her head as their kiss deepened further. Breath didn't seem to matter. It was like they were starving and they refused to release each other until they'd had their fill.**_

_**They did, finally, just as the fireworks ceased and all was dark again.**_

* * *

"Unfortunately, I always dream about you dying." Takuu continued. He looked at her, still deep in sleep. "…What are you dreaming about…Is it happy? Are…you dreaming happy things?" He sighed. "Or are you plagued with nightmares like me?"

"She dreams of that place." A squeaky voice behind him said.

Takuu whirled around to see a young girl with gold eyes and blonde hair pulled into a side ponytail.

"I-Izuriha-san…"

Kagari walked over to him and stopped beside his chair. It was always very, very difficult to tell what Kagari was thinking, especially when she hides her emotions. Now, her gaze was blank, her eyes showing no feeling what-so-ever.

The two stayed silent before Kagari spoke again. "She dreams of that world…that colorful world…But the little bird won't take her there."

"Huh?" Leave it to Kagari to be cryptic.

Kagari just looked down at him and smiled. "Don't mind me." Her smile disappeared. "I came here to ask you something very important.

"Uh…What is it?" Takuu asked, feeling nervous.

"You remember Satsuriku-san?"

How could he forget? "…I…Yes."

Kagari scowled. "Mato and I saw her, yesterday. When she saw us, she looked at me, then at Mato, and…" Kagari clenched her fists. "She smirked."

"She…smirked?"

Kagari nodded. "Then she giggled, and she whispered to Mato 'Your turn.' I think that Mato is her next target." Kagari's look hardened. "So I need your help."

* * *

_The buckles on Shadow's boots went "click, clack, click, clack." with every step he took. The graves had disappeared long ago, leaving nothing but barren, grey wasteland._

_Shadow stopped when he saw her. She had long yellow hair and gold eyes, which he swore were piercing into his heart as she starred at him. But he couldn't tear his eyes away from her legs._

_She had wheels for feet._

_("So you're the 'Shadow' I've heard so much about.") She said, her expression not changing. ("It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Chariot.")_

_("I'm not in the mood for games, Chariot. I'm in a hurry right now, so I'd appreciate it if you would get out of my way.")_

_("No. Not until you hear me out.") Chariot rolled towards him. A year ago, he would have retreated, but not now. His mother had trained him better than that._

_("As long as it doesn't involve stabbing, I'm all ears.") He replied._

_Chariot stopped in front of him. ("You're looking for your lover. Eco. I, at the same time, am looking for my friend-")_

_("-Black Rock Shooter. I know. Eco knows her, too.")_

_Chariot looked annoyed. ("It's rude to interrupt. Anyway, I know Eco got away, but Zero still has Rock-chan. I've been tracking her, but I keep loosing her trail. But you, Shadow…") She leaned closer ("You've lived in darkness all your life. You're like a cat. You can track people, very well.")_

_("What is it that you want from me?") He shouted, loosing his temper._

_Chariot backed up. "It's simple: I help you find Eco, you help me find Rock-chan. Deal?"_

* * *

"My help?" Takuu asked in surprise. No one wanted his help, accept for Arata. Other than that, he was just useless, meek Takuu.

Kagari walked over and leaned very close to his face. "Help me protect Mato…And I'll help you protect Kohata." She extended her hand. "Deal?"

* * *

_Shadow starred at her hand for a moment…_

* * *

Then reached out and shook it.

* * *

_("Deal.") Shadow replied._

* * *

Kagari smiled. "Thank you, Igawa-kun. You won't regret it."

* * *

**So, Takuu has formed an aliance with Kagari, Satsuriku might be targeting Mato (due to the fact that she's the second-best player on the team) Shadow and Chariot are on the hunt for Eco, Rock has been captured by Zero, and Strength has made her apperance.**

**Now, here's a question for you all: Who do you think Setsuko Kasumi, Ran Yukari, and Hibiki Fuyu's other selve's are? HINT: Icicles and Maids.**

**Now, TrailblazingArtist-sempai has uploaded four times this week for Life of B RS, and I am seriously behind on my reveiws. So I gotta go.**

**BYE BYE!**


End file.
